Headwear



May 12, 1936. E. WITTCOFF Y HEADWEAR Fi-led Jan. 21, 1935 INVENTOE fa n ara 71077 954 Patented May 12, 193% UNITED SATES HEADWEAR Edward Wittcofl, University City, Mo.

Application January 21, 1935, Serial No. 2,630

2 Claims.

This invention relates generally to headwear and, more particularly, to a certain new and useful improvement in hats and such other types of relatively stiff headwear that are usually equipped 5 with a sweat-band.

My present invention has for its chief object the provision of a hat having a sweat-band so constructed and fixed to and within the headopening of the crown as not only to be comfortable, but also to provide for ventilation, to the head.

And with the above and other objects in view, my invention resides in the novel features of form, construction, arrangement, and combination of parts presently described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing,-

Figure 1 illustrates in elevation a hat of helmet shape equipped with a ventilation-providing sweat-band of my invention;

Figure 2 is an inverted plan view of the sweatband equipped hat of Figure 1, the band being partly broken away to show the head-size adjusting means thereof;

Figures 3 and 4 are enlarged fragmental sectional views of the hat; and.

Figure 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of one of the band attaching strips.

Referring now more in detail and by reference characters to the accompanying drawing, which illustrates a preferred embodiment of my invention, A designates a hat of any standard shape and of any suitable material. In the present instance, the hat A is of so-called helmet shape, is constructed of paper-pulp pressed or molded to the desired form and contour, and comprises a brim I and a crown 2, the latter having a headopening 3.

B designates the sweat-band proper, which,

ible material, such as leather, and stitched or otherwise fixed, as at 4, preferably to and along the lower margin and normally or initially dis posed approximately flatwise upon the rear face, of the band B, so as to be located intermediate the band B and crown 2 when the band B, as presently appears, is fixed within the crown, is a flap band 5 also constructed of any suitable flexible material. The fiap band 5 is preferably, as shown, though not essentially, of less width than the band B, and above the line of thread-stitches 4, the flap band 5 is free from and flexibly movable and bendable relatively to the band B.

The band B and its attached flap band 5 are,

as is usual, is constructed of any suitable flex-' as a whole, of split type with their respective ends e, 6, adapted for overlapping disposition, as best shown in Figures 2 and 3.

In practice, the band B is so disposed within the crown head-opening 3 that its ends e, e, 5 are located in an end-portion, so-called, of the hat A, and at an end, as by eyelets, rivets, or the like 6, fixed to and fiatwise upon the flap band 5 at suitably spaced points circumferentially thereof, are relatively short bendable metallic strips 1, which, in turn, are preferably 'arcuately bent upon themselves, as shown, and at their other end, as also by eyelets, rivets, or the like 8, fixed to and flatwise upon the side wall of the crown 2, as best seen in Figures 1 and 2.

As so bent and formed, the strips 1 are of inverted U-shape with their respective bights presented upwardly within the crown 2, as shown, and disposed between the flap band 5 and the crown-wall. So arranged, the band-portion 5 obviates any engagement of the eyelets 6 or 8 and strips 7 with an inserted head, while the strips 1 to a large extent also cushion the hat on, and space the crown 2 from, the inserted head, the space, as at 9, so provided intermediate the band B and the crown afiording free ventilation to the head.

The band B may be thus readily, and with facility and little expense permanently fixed to and within the hat A. It may be stated that preferably the band-securing eyelets 6, 8, at said end of the hat are somewhat widely spaced to permit, in such end of the hat, size adjustment of the band, whose head-size may be conveniently-regulated through the engagement of a hook I!) fixed on the end e of the flap 5 with one or the other of a series of slits i I provided in the other end e of the flap band 5, as shown, the band B preventing and obviating any engagement of an inserted head with the metallic hook l0. Preferably also each strip 1 is covered and its strength augmented by a cloth or other suitable fabric covering l2, as best shown in Figure 5.

It will be understood that changes in the form, construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of the hat and its sweat-band may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,-

1. A hat including a crown, a split sweat-band extending around within the head-opening of the crown, a correspondingly split flap marginally fixed to the band and disposed intermediate the band and crown, means including circumferentially spaced members having engagement with the flap and crown for securing the band in headengaging position within the crown, the band and fiap having their ends in overlapping relation disposed intermediate a pair of said members, and means carried by and at the ends of the flap for securing the ends of the band adjustably together.

2. A hat including a crown, a split sweat-band extending around within the head-opening of the crown, a correspondingly split flap marginally fixed to the band and disposed intermediate the band and crown, means including circumferentially spaced members having engagement with the flap and crown for securing the band in head-engaging position within the crown, the band and flap havingctheir ends in overlapping relation disposed intermediate a pair of said members, and the flap at one end being provided with a series of spaced transverse slits, and v 

